We are requesting funds for a biological safety facility in the Department of Microbiology at the University of Minnesota Medical School to facilitate studies requiring P2/P3 levels of containment. This facility will be the first of its kind at the University of Minnesota, and it is anticipated that it will be available on an interdepartmental basis for general use. In this application we describe (1) the proposed renovations required to alter an existing laboratory facility into one that can be employed for P3 level recombinant DNA work and (2) ongoing research projects, or extensions thereof, currently awaiting the development of such a facility on this campus. All of the proposals contain studies involving recombinant DNA technology to facilitate both the selection and amplification of genetic nucleotide sequences that affect a variety of biological systems currently under investigation at this University. These include (1) genetic defects; (2) phase variation in bacteria; (3) regulation of gene expression in eukaryotes; (4) industrial modification of lignin; (5) nitrogen fixation in Rhizobium; and (6) genetic analysis of surface antigens in pathogenic bacteria. The vast majority of these studies reflect extensions of ongoing, funded research projects at this University and should provide an additional dimension to the continuing research programs of the principal investigators involved.